Page 16 of Play the Game
I narrow my eyes at him. “Asshole. Get me a cherry slushie too.”
He grins and kisses my cheek. “Like I would forget your love of a ballpark slushie.”
Rio jogs up towards the concourse, and I turn back to Cooper, expecting him to ask me for an introduction to Chris or say something hero-worshipy about the Strikers’ star pitcher. I’ve been here so many times before. But instead, Cooper just gives me that look he has, like he’s seeing far more than I want him to. Far more than I usually show to the world. “So, your brother is a professional athlete, huh? I bet that’s not always easy.”
There is so much complex truth in his statement that, for a second, I just stare at him, wondering how to even respond. I’m saved from trying to figure it out by a cheerful voice from behind Cooper.
“Seriously, Coop, leave it to you to make a friend at the baseball game. After my husband you’re, like, the friendliest guy alive.” Looking over Cooper’s shoulder, I see a pretty brunette who looks oddly familiar.
“Call me your husband again, Gorgeous. You know what it does to me.” The guy next to her slides an arm around her waist and presses a kiss to her head, then grins at Cooper, who I absolutely would not classify asthe friendliest guy alive. “Besides, he hasn’t been all that friendly lately. That woman at work is really getting in the way of cheerful Coop. I miss that guy.”
“Fuck off, Noah.” Cooper shoots a glare behind him at the guy I suddenly realize looks a whole lot like Cooper.
“Who are you?” he asks, looking at me curiously.
This is just too perfect. I snicker, looking at Cooper and then back at the guy. “I’m pretty sure I’m the woman at work.”
“Oh my god,” Cooper mutters, looking so aggrieved that I’m suddenly having the time of my life, all previous discomfort forgotten.
“No fucking way! I’ve been wanting to meet the woman who has been making Cooper such a grumpy asshole. I’m Noah, his older brother.”
“And I’m Hannah,” the woman says, and in a flash, I know exactly who she is.
“Holy shit, you’re Hannah Evans!” It comes out before I can stop it, but seriously, what’s a girl to do when faced with one of her favorite authors of all time?
Hannah grins at me. “Romance reader?”
“Uh, yeah, since I was like twelve. Every single one of your books is my favorite. I can’t wait until your first re-release next week with your publishing deal. I seriously don’t know how you do it.” Out of the corner of my eye, I see Cooper looking at me like he’s never seen me before in his life. It occurs to me that I’m in the process of smashing myvery serious lawyer who does lawyer thingspersona to pieces, but I have no chill right now.
“We don’t know how she does it either!” Cooper groans, pressing his fingers to his eyes in exasperation as two other women pop up behind Hannah, smiles on their faces.
“These are my sisters, Jo and Amelia,” Hannah says. “Well, Jo is my actual sister and weirdly, she’s also my sister-in-law since she married Cooper and Noah’s oldest brother Jordan a couple months ago. Him.” She points to a tall guy at the end of the row looking at us with interest. “And Amelia is engaged to the fourth brother, Elliot.” She gestures to a guy who hashot nerdwritten all over him, and sweet Jesus, Wyles genes are absolutely spectacular. “So, I guess she’s my almost sister-in-law.” Hannah shrugs. “It’s all kind of complicated.”
“It’s really not, Hans. Hi, I’m Jo.” The woman wearing a pink Strikers hat and pink Converse grins at me. “You don’t look at alllike you have fangs or a control panel to power your robotic side.”
“She’s a romance reader, Jo Jo, and she’s one of Hannah’s fans,” the woman who must be Amelia says with a smile. “She can’t be nearly as bad as Cooper says she is. I think maybe it’s just that Cooper can’t handle a little friendly competition."
Cooper makes a strangled noise, and I bark out a laugh, ready to get on my knees and beg these women to be my best friends, even if they do belong to Cooper. Female friends aren’t something I’ve ever really had—grinding it out to succeed at all costs since high school doesn’t really make you many friends. But seeing the way these three women are together makes what I’ve missed out on all the more obvious.
“So, you’re Evan Rhodes.” Hot nerd brother gives me an appraising look that screamsreserving judgment. “My brother has been really unhappy the last year or so.”
I shrug, keeping my voice light even as my head throbs at the insinuation that I’m the reason Cooper has been unhappy. Even though, yeah, I probably am. And likewise. “That’s just the way BigLaw goes.”
“Leave her alone, El,” Amelia says, linking her arm with his. “You’re in academia. You know better than anyone what a cutthroat work environment is like.”
“We all do,” Jordan says with awe’re closing rankstone to his voice. These two are such a marked difference from the brother who radiates puppy dog energy that I would be fascinated if I wasn’t suddenly having a very untimely conscience attack. And potentially the beginning of a migraine. “But you made cheerful, friendly Cooper a miserable asshole. That’s not very nice of you.”
“Yeah, well, he’s not the only miserable one,” I shoot back, immediately regretting it as all three brothers narrow their eyes at me, the three girls looking at me with interest. My skin crawls at being the focus of everyone’s attention. I glance at the field and the rapidly filling stadium, willing the pre-game festivities to start in order to distract everyone from thisconversation. It was fun for a minute, but now it’s the opposite of that.
“Want to join a book club?” Jo asks out of nowhere. “It’s a romance book club. It’s just the three of us, and these guys’ mom and grandma. It’s a really fun time, and we’re always looking for new members and?—”
“No!” Cooper blurts out, cutting Jo off and glaring daggers at me, his entire demeanor givingDon’t you fucking dare.
I can feel my face fall at his sharp tone, and it makes the wild part of me want to say yes to Jo’s invitation just to see what would happen.
The wild part of me needs to take a fucking seat.
“No one is joining a book club, and no one is making friends with the woman from work currently making it her mission to make my life as miserable as possible.” Cooper grips the back of his neck, breathing hard as his entire family stares at him with fascination. I’m guessing Cooper rarely, if ever, loses his cool with them. I think I’m the only one who has the honor of seeing that side of him. Like when I do his work. Or when he shoves me against a conference room window and fucks my brains out.
